I've heard from a couple local electricians that the inspector in my
town is a major PITA to deal with. They said that he will require all
kinds of things to be done that aren't part of the permitted work, and
that he never approves anything or trusts anyone to do anything
right. They further described instances where they had done things
according to code and the inspector required it changed because he
just didn't like it---regardless of the code. I was told that some
electricians charge a hefty extra fee to work in my town just because
of this guy, and had one electrician propose not getting a permit at
all. (I think this also helps explain why so many electricians just
never return my call)

I've really been leaning towards doing this work myself (w/
inspection) but this gives me pause. I of course would want anything
dangerous to be pointed out and required corrected, but other things,
just because they don't meet current code (and aren't part of the
permitted work), is not something I want to deal with.

One example an electrician told me is that this inspector will require
every bedroom to be wired with wired smoke detectors, all on the same
wiring run, even if the work being done has nothing to do with
bedrooms. This is all for a 50 year old house.

So what are people's thoughts on going without an inspection? I hate
to do it but also don't want to open myself up to unnecessary work
beyond what I'm planning.